ChatGPT Advanced Voice Retirement: What Changes 11 Dec

What is happening to ChatGPT Advanced Voice?

OpenAI is retiring ChatGPT's Advanced Voice and Standard Voice on 11 December 2026 and moving every voice user to Live voice ^[1]. The company announced the change in its ChatGPT release notes on 10 November 2026, the same day users began receiving notices ^[1][3].

OpenAI says that since it introduced GPT-Live in July, voice usage in ChatGPT has nearly doubled and "virtually all" people using voice now use GPT-Live ^[1]. Retiring the two older modes lets it simplify the voice experience and focus on one model ^[1].

Until 11 December you can keep using Advanced or Standard voice as before ^[1]. After that, the only voice option in ChatGPT's model picker will be Live, except for a few cases covered below ^[1][2].

The change applies across ChatGPT plans, from Free to Pro, according to TechRadar's report ^[6]. It does not remove voice from ChatGPT; it removes two of the three ways it can sound and behave ^[6].

What is the difference between Live, Advanced and Standard voice?

Live voice can listen and speak at the same time, Advanced voice waits for you to stop talking, and Standard voice turns your speech into text before answering ^[1].

Standard voice, the original ChatGPT voice experience, chained three models: speech-to-text, a text model for the answer, and text-to-speech to read it aloud ^[1]. OpenAI says that made responses slow and lost information between voice and text ^[1].

Advanced voice used a model that processed and produced audio directly, but it was turn-based, so the conversation had a rigid back-and-forth ^[1].

Live voice uses GPT-Live, a full-duplex model ^[1][4]. It can say "mhmm" to show it is listening, handle quick interruptions or stay quiet while you think ^[1][4]. For hard questions, web searches or agent tasks, it hands the work to OpenAI's frontier text models in the background and keeps talking while they run ^[1][4]. At launch in July that background model was GPT-5.5 ^[4].

The table below sums up the three modes.

When exactly do Advanced and Standard voice stop working?

The cut-off is 11 December 2026: from that date, Advanced and Standard disappear from the voice picker and users who selected them are defaulted to Live ^[1].

• 8 July 2026: OpenAI launched GPT-Live-1 and GPT-Live-1 mini in ChatGPT worldwide, with the mini model as the default for Free users and the larger model as the default for Go, Plus and Pro ^[4][5][8][9].
• 10 November 2026: Retirement announced; users notified ^[1][3].
• 10 November to 10 December: Transition period; Advanced and Standard still work ^[1].
• 11 December 2026: Advanced and Standard removed from Settings > Voice; custom GPTs retire on the same date ^[1][7].

OpenAI has not given a date for when Live will support video and screen sharing, so Advanced will keep running in the background for those features with no end date announced ^[1].

OpenAI's help page currently describes Live as powered by GPT-Live-1.1 and GPT-Live-1.1 Quip, depending on the plan ^[2]. The July launch used the names GPT-Live-1 and GPT-Live-1 mini ^[4], so the model names have already changed once since launch.

What happens to ChatGPT video and screen sharing?

Live video and screen sharing will keep using Advanced voice until GPT-Live supports them, OpenAI says ^[1]. Live voice currently does not support video or screen sharing ^[2].

On the iOS and Android apps, eligible subscribers can still share live video by tapping the camera button during a voice conversation, or share their screen from the more options menu ^[2]. Those features run on Advanced voice today ^[2].

OpenAI said at the July launch that it was working to bring video and screen sharing to GPT-Live "soon" ^[4][9]. It has not published a date. If you rely on showing ChatGPT your surroundings or your screen, those features should keep working after 11 December, but check the voice settings after that date in case OpenAI changes the plan ^[1][2].

What happens to voice in custom GPTs?

Voice in custom GPTs keeps using Advanced voice until custom GPTs themselves are retired on 11 December 2026 ^[1][7]. OpenAI is replacing custom GPTs with plugins, which bundle instructions, reference files and connected apps ^[7].

OpenAI's migration FAQ says existing GPTs stay usable until the retirement date, after which custom GPTs and their pages become inaccessible ^[7]. FedRAMP workspaces and some Enterprise workspaces with an approved deferral have until 11 February 2027 ^[7]. Conversations you already had with custom GPTs remain accessible after retirement ^[7].

If you built a GPT, the FAQ says you can use "Migrate to plugin" in My GPTs when migration is available for your account; the GPT's instructions become a skill and its knowledge files become reference files ^[7]. The GPT's selected model does not carry over ^[7].

How much Live voice can I use on each ChatGPT plan?

Live voice limits run over a rolling 24-hour window: Plus and Go get 3 hours, the $100 Pro plan 15 hours, and the $200 Pro plan unlimited use subject to abuse guardrails ^[2]. Free users get limited access to GPT-Live-1.1 Quip, and OpenAI says those limits may change ^[2].

Business Standard includes 3 hours and Business Premium 15 hours, with extra minutes billed at 1.25 credits per minute ^[2]. Enterprise customers on usage-based dollar pricing pay $0.05 per minute ^[2]. ChatGPT tells you when you reach a limit, and you can continue in text ^[2].

These figures come from OpenAI's help page as checked on 13 November 2026 and can change at any time ^[2].

How do I switch to Live voice now?

Open Settings > Voice in ChatGPT and choose Live; you do not have to wait for 11 December ^[2].

1. In the ChatGPT app or on ChatGPT.com, open Settings, then Voice ^[2].
2. Select Live from the voice options. What you see depends on your plan, workspace, region, app version and parental controls ^[2].
3. Pick a voice such as Arbor, Cove, Ember or Sol; changing the voice during a call starts a new call in the same chat ^[2].
4. Set your preferred language under Settings > Voice > Language if Live keeps mishearing you ^[2].
5. Start a conversation with the Voice icon in the message bar and allow microphone access if asked ^[2].

Preset ChatGPT personalities do not currently apply to Live, but you can ask it to change tone or pace during a conversation ^[2].

Why are some ChatGPT users unhappy about the change?

Some users say they prefer the style of Advanced or Standard voice and have complained on Reddit and X, TechRadar reported on 11 November ^[6]. The headline quote from one user was "I'm beyond disappointed because ChatGPT means a lot to me" ^[6].

OpenAI acknowledges the problem in its notice: "We recognize that some people are accustomed to Advanced or Standard voice's style or way of responding, and these model transitions can be challenging" ^[1]. It says it is using lessons from the older modes to improve GPT-Live's depth of answers, continuity across conversations and personalization ^[1].

This is not the first time OpenAI has backed off a voice change. In September 2025 it reversed a plan to retire Standard Voice, saying it had "heard feedback that Standard Voice is special to many" ^[10]. Whether the same happens this time is unknown; the current notice gives a firm date ^[1].

TechRadar's own reviewer called Live their favourite mode by a long way, which shows how much this comes down to personal taste ^[6].

What happens to my old voice chats and audio?

Conversations you had with Advanced or Standard voice stay in your ChatGPT history and can be continued in text or in voice, which will then use Live ^[1].

Audio clips from Live and Advanced conversations, and video clips from Advanced, are stored with the chat transcript for 30 days ^[2]. If you delete a chat, OpenAI says it deletes the clips within 30 days unless it must keep them for security, safety or legal reasons ^[2]. With Standard voice, audio is deleted after transcription ^[2].

OpenAI says it does not train on your voice audio or video unless you turn on sharing under Settings > Data Controls ^[2]. Transcripts may be used for training if "Improve the model for everyone" is on, depending on your plan ^[2]. If you want a copy of your data before the switch, OpenAI points to its data export option ^[1].

How should you prepare for the switch to Live voice?

Try Live now, while you can still switch back, so you know what changes before 11 December ^[1][2].

• Test the tasks you use voice for most, such as language practice, brainstorming or hands-free questions, and note what Live does differently ^[2].
• If you use video or screen sharing, check that those still work under Advanced on your phone ^[2].
• If you own a custom GPT with voice users, migrate it to a plugin and test it before 11 December ^[7].
• Review Settings > Data Controls if you care about how voice transcripts are used ^[2].

To understand the model behind the voice, the Pouyam guide What Is ChatGPT? How Large Language Models Like It Actually Work explains the basics. For privacy, see Is ChatGPT Safe for Your Privacy? What AI Chatbots Do With the Data You Share. To compare assistants, read ChatGPT vs Gemini vs Claude in 2026: Models, Prices and Key Differences.